Best of Intentions for the Weekend

Big Buckaroo went to our land this weekend to hunt, so the Buckaroo's and I had a big weekend planned. I had a list of projects to get done and was going to intersperse them with kiddo fun and a couple of prior commitments.

Well, at least I had good intentions.

First, the weekend began with me thinking that my head just might explode and my throat hurting. Let's say that now I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest. I told Little Buckaroo I did not feel well and I thought I was going to have to take some medicine. He then said, "mom, that is not your style!"

Well, I broke down and DID take some medicine, it's my new style.

Project #1, finish Roman Shades for kitchen, the fabric is still sitting where it was on Friday. No Progress!

Project #2 - complete a second bow holder princess dress for my other niece. I went to the hardware store and bought the wrong staples for the staple gun, no progress on this. UGH!

Project #3 - Polish silver and put cool paper in the back of my hutch- SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!

Project #4- Workbook Day at AWANA. They had a Saturday workday for the AWANA kids to work on their books. Since I am a leader and Little Buckaroo is a Spark, we loaded up and went. Littlest Buckaroo hung with my in my class while Little Buckaroo passed 15 sections!!!!!! SUCCESS!

Project #5 - Community Meeting - I, along with another lady in town (our town of 148), are working on some fun projects that will enhance our community (like a Farmer's Market, town beautification, a playground/green area). We had a community task force meeting Friday night at the Fire Station to get this off the ground - SUCCESS!

A couple of reasons all the projects did not get done.

#1 - Mom, could you make me a Batman mask??? And, mom can we work on my dinosaur outfit. SUCCESS! (after a lot of black spray paint, hot glue, and scissor work)

#2 - Mom, could we make a soccer field? We could move the thing of dad's trailer to the back yard. SUCCESS with a back ache resulting.

If there is a soccer field, then we must play a game of soccer. Yes, I let my kids dress themselves.

"Hey mom, will you go get some of those things that you shake when I score a goal?"

Sure, but I am not wearing a cheerleading outfit, I really must draw the line somewhere.

This is what happens after I went inside to vacuum while they finished another quarter of the soccer game. Ummm, kids did you know it was November and cold outside??? Of course I had to then take them in for a bath before lunch.

I wonder why I don't have time to get all my projects done????

But, hey, I did get to curl up on the couch and watch a chick flick after putting them to bed Saturday night!

The list is still around and getting longer as the holidays approach, but hey, it will get done. Well, if it doesn't ALL get done, that's alright because I have some fun, happy superhero soccer players to hang out with.

Waiting for Big Buckaroo to come home today (I miss him and need a nap),
The Park Wife

The Park Wife's One Year Blogiversary

I have been around these bloggedy parts for a year now. I started out gung-ho and posted everyday (the over-achiever in me), but have slacked off (reality hit) with homeschooling Little Buckaroo, Littlest Buckaroo becoming more active, and well, just overwhelmed with laundry, cooking and my husband saying "you aren't going to be on the computer tonight are you? I want to hang out with you" So, sorry, Big Buckaroo trumps The Park Wife blog (have you ever seen Big Buckaroo, enough said!)

It has been nice sharing my life growing up in Mississippi, my 20s living all over the South, my love story with Big Buckaroo and a year of our boys lives on a historical state park. Plus, there has been all the random craziness I rant about at times.

I have many new friends as a result of blogging and am thankful for each and every one of you who stop by and check in to see what is happening in our little world.

Stay tuned. Who knows what will happen this next year!
The Park Wife

Homeschool Lesson "Planning"

Hello, I am The Park Wife and I am a Facebook addict (let me hear you say "hello Park Wife). Since joining Facebook, I have been back in touch with many high school friends, it is so much fun. The majority of them are amazed from growing up with me that I live on a state park where I have crazy animals, a garden and spend my days homeschooling. I am amazed most of the time I am here too! I have found that many people do not understand the homeschool thing, but it is what is right for our family.

In an effort to educate on how we homeschool (not all homeschool families do it the same way), I decided to share my lesson plan for tomorrow, well, it just popped in my head, so "lesson plan" is a bit of an exaggeration. We are relaxed homeschoolers (hey, Little Buckaroo is in Kindergarten, can read, do math better than me at times, and knows things like all the Presidents, and the dynamics of the Titanic sinking - so don't call the authorities, haha).

We are going to study Switzerland tomorrow by making Swiss fondue. Little Buckaroo will use his interactive globe to find it, and as we eat the fondue, we will discuss the lakes, valleys and mountainous Alps region. Then, for math I will teach him about the watchmakers of Geneva and about the 24-hour clock. For Language Arts and Reading, we will practice saying hello in French, Italian, and German (Switzerland's neighbors whose languages they speak). Then, we will learn about the famous Swiss scientist and explorer Bertrand Piccar, the first balloonists to circumnavigate the globe with a non-stop, non-refuelled flight. Now, that will open me up to a zillion questions and some kind of building of a hot-air balloon. Um, maybe I will just read Heidi or Swiss Family Robinson and call it good. That is why I am not a rigid, 30 minute block homeschooler, it would never work for us.

I know this is outside of the regimen and routine of a school classroom, but it is how my Little Buckaroo learns best and what works best for me. Little Buckaroo is socialized (I know, I know, that is one thing that people think instantly about homeschoolers), he can relate well with kids and can have a conversation with adults while looking them in their eyes. Plus, I enjoy my children (most of the time) so it is nice to have them around all the time. Not to say, a spa weekend would not be welcomed. This is beyond a shadow of a doubt what I am supposed to be doing and what is right for our family.

I am blessed to have a husband that supports me as a homeschool mom. Maybe I will let him reap the benefits of our Switzerland study and get him some Swiss chocolate (since he will probably have to work on the hot air balloon construction).

Ciao! or Au revoir! or Uf widerlüge!
The Park Wife

Impromptu Party- Again

It is starting to get common around here, we wake up and decide, "oh, let's have a party today". My mom and one of my brothers (I have 5 remember) were in town for the weekend and my father-in-law and Big Buckaroo returned from hunting on our land. Since we were all in one place, we decided to throw a little birthday party together for Littlest Buckaroo.

Now, Littlest Buckaroo is a kid that does not ask for much, when at Walmart, it never occurs to him to ask me to buy him anything and he is always happy and content with whatever we or his brother pass down to him. Both of the Buckaroo's are December babies so their birthday's are overshadowed by Christmas sometimes. So, what do we do? Just have a birthday party whenever we want and celebrate (hey, he is only going to be 3 so he does not care if it is actually on his birthday, or in the same week, or well, even in the same month).

We popped some blueberry muffins in the oven and told him it was his special day!

Blowing out the candles was a very big deal.

Oh, and then there were the presents. Our Super Duper Muscleman Bucking Bull Cowboy wanted to be Superman when his brother was Spiderman the other day. He was very happy with his new outfit (I got it after Halloween for 10 cents, yes, 10 cents).

Kryptonite? Oh no, he just is responding to my cooking.

He has been practicing his Superman flying in the front of the grocery cart (yes, I am one of those moms whose kids stand up in the cart and sing the Superman theme song with their arms straight out in front of them) so he was ready when he got his new outfit on.

But then.......

Big Buckaroo decided that he was going to take Littlest Buckaroo to town and let him pick out something at the store. In his sweet little voice he said, "daddy, I already got my presents, why we going to the store?"

And, this is what he chose (I think he had a little help from his dad).

Of course you can not just get one set, so Little Buckaroo got a set too. The battery pack that has the hulk saying things like" you are making me angry" came out pretty quick (in an effort to avoid a nervous breakdown on my part).

Down for the count. He thought he was very funny, and well, I agree. I love this kid!

Now, time to plan for Little Buckaroo's birthday or we could just throw together another impromptu party...yep, that is probably what will happen.

The Park Wife

Our Battleground State

Does this picture sum up how I felt as I watched the election results last night, well, yea, but in actuality, it is from the Civil War Days celebration at our Park this past weekend.


This re-enactor experienced the wonderful cockle-burrs that cover this area of the Park. Ouch!


Blue State or Red State? Oh, just shoot the gun.



Watch out, the South is about to rise again!


Now, this is a beautiful site.

Little Buckaroo (far left in red) tries to negotiate with a Union soldier.

Littlest Buckaroo had a great time with Scout and her sister, their dad is re-enactor.

Of course I am not happy that McCain did not win the election, but I urge everyone to pray for our new President. God is still on His throne. He is still sovereign. And we need His grace now more than we ever have before.

The Park Wife

Everyday is Halloween at Our House

If you have ever read my blog before, you would know that the Buckaroo's dress up all the time, like this, this, this, this, oh I could go on and on here. So, Halloween is just another day around here. But, there is one part of Halloween that is incredibly exciting (aside of the candy of course) -- the after Halloween sale! We rack up on half price outfits that I would NEVER have paid full price for.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to.....


Littlest Buckaroo Spidey! He loves the built in muscles, especially since he says that when he grows up he is going to be a "muscle man bucking bull cowboy".

He says the mask makes him look angry and decided not to wear it anymore, but, the muscles are awesome, so he wears it the majority of the day.

Even while napping. We must choose our battles around this place.

Spidey has to have his superhero friend Batman to help him fight crime around this place. All I have to say is that the "evil one" aka Lucky the Dog has been getting a lot of Superhero attention lately.

When the Superheroes can't take care of it, just call in the Ninja.

And, the Bucking Bull Cowboy himself.

I feel very safe around these parts (except when I am in the line of fire of Spiderman webs, Ninja swords, and cowboy six-shooters),
The Park Wife

On the Soapbox Again, 1 Day Before Election

I have treaded lightly on politics on my blog lately, but with only one more day before the biggest election in my lifetime, I feel it necessary to reach my reader's who just might be undecided (is it possible that anyone is still undecided or that anyone is reading my blog???).

We are privileged in this country to elect our leaders. I don't always agree on everything with a candidate, but I don't always agree with my spouse, family, or friends on everything 100% of the time either. So, I look at the big picture, I vote for the person who is most qualified to do the job. And, of the two applicants for the most powerful person in the country, in the world, the choice for me is clear.

Five and a half years ago I was a brand new mother, Little Buckaroo had just been born. Since then, we have watched him grow to an exceptional little boy, full of hope and possibilities. He has learned to walk, talk , ride a bicycle, read, climb, and so much more. So, thinking that his whole time on this earth equals the amount of time that John McCain spent in a North Vietnamese Prisoner of War Camp is overwhelming ~ 2, 000 days, 2,000 nights of sleep. When offered early release, he refused it. He considered this offer to be a public relations stunt by his captors, and insisted that those held longer than he should be released first. Did you get that part? He was offered his freedom, and he turned it down. A regimen of beatings and torture began. Do you possess such strength of character? Locked in a filthy cell in a foreign country with a spouse and children at home, would you turn down your own freedom in favor of your fellow man? That's a quality of character that is rarely found, and for me the character of a person holds A LOT of weight.

Now, being a prisoner of war is not what qualifies John McCain to be President of the United States, but his demonstrated leadership does. There's a lot of evil in this world and when faced with that evil as we are now, I want a man who knows the cost of war on his troops and on his citizens. I want a man who puts my family's interests before any foreign country. I want a President who's qualified to lead. Who does not taut change but can not back up what actual change he is promising.

The Park Wife for McCain Palin 2008